Law firm Jones Day taps Chicago attorney to lead biggest practice

Dan Reidy, the lead federal prosecutor in the Operation Greylord judicial corruption investigation in the 1980s and more recently in charge of law firm Jones Day's Chicago office, was named head of the firm's biggest practice, its 450-attorney business and tort litigation group.

The appointment, however, promises to be a transitional one. Mr. Reidy this year will reach the mandatory retirement age (65) for the position that applied at year-end to his predecessor, Pittsburgh-based Mickey Pohl.

Mr. Reidy said Jones Day, which has 163 of its 2,400 lawyers in Chicago, making it the city's 13-largest legal office, is working to improve deployment of its legal staff and identify future leaders.

“I had the right mix of seniority and experience to implement some of those things,” he said, indicating that he will continue practicing law indefinitely.

A former candidate for U.S. attorney here, the South Side native represented the city in the prosecution of former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, now imprisoned on a 2010 perjury conviction related to torture allegations.

At Jones Day, which Mr. Reidy joined in 1987 when the Cleveland-founded firm opened its Chicago office, the bulk of his practice is representing Abbott Laboratories and other corporate clients, both on trial and in investigations.